Try not to use alcohol or other drugs – including lots of caffeine or other energy drinks – in the hope of feeling better or forgetting expectations and pressure. The feeling is usually temporary and the effects often make you feel worse.
Expectations can lead to a lot of stress. It’s important to take time out to do something that you enjoy. Although you might not feel like it or have time, exercising, eating well and getting plenty of sleep can help you feel better.
With sex, always stop if you hear your partner say: No, I don’t know, I’m not sure, Not now, Get off, Don’t do that, I feel worried, Stop. They are not giving you consent to continue.
Sexual consent is not given if it is assumed, forced, pressured, unwanted, violent, if they are too drunk or too high to give consent, if they are asleep, or your partner doesn’t understand what is happening.
by self-help expert Dr Pam Spurr.
It’s that time of year when everyone’s supposed to be excited and happy. But when 40% of marriages end in divorce – and an even higher proportion of cohabiting couples break up – it’s far from happy for lots of teens and children.
If your parents have gone through this in recent months, you might be feeling anything from angry to broken-up about it.
Sex without consent is illegal. It is rape or sexual assault, which would result in a criminal conviction as a sex offender.
After calculating your budget, you will either have a positive balance (spare money available to spend) or a negative balance (you don’t have enough to pay for the things you are paying for, and are getting into debt).
You can use online tools to calculate your budget, using your income and outgoings figures. This will give you a more accurate budget, as some payments may be weekly, some monthly and some quarterly. The Money Advice Service has a free online Budget Planner.
If you need to express your emotions you can do this in ways that won’t cause you bodily harm, or damage to another person or property, like yelling, punching or crying into a pillow, or dancing round the room to loud music.
Writing down your feelings in a journal or private online space can be a great way to gain some insight into a situation and reduce the power of unrealistic expectations. Expressing yourself creatively can also help you think about alternative solutions to problems.